fluorescent adolescent
by deliriousnight
Summary: She was a witch who lived on the edge of town, he was a traveler who wished to be a knight. And they were in for the adventure of their lifetimes. AU. SasuSaku.
1. first

Sakura had grown up as an isolated child.

Perhaps it was because everyone feared her abilities, expected her to kill them, even when she was only a young one.

Her surrogate mother, Tsunade, told Sakura not to worry about it. And, of course, Tsunade spoke from experience—she had been isolated, herself, from the rest of the village. It was she who had built the little cottage where they lived, full of familial warmth. It wasn't fancy and it wasn't big, but, for Sakura, living there with a strong kind woman who loved her very much, was enough.

Even if everyone else hated her, if Tsunade was there, it would always be enough.

And then, when Sakura was ten, Tsunade died.

Tsunade had gone out for an errand in the village, hiding herself in a cloak, because Sakura's mother knew about the villagers' fear and also knew that fear could cause people to do dangerous things.

Sakura wasn't clear on how it happened, since she hadn't been present at the time, but someone had recognized Tsunade and gathered a mob to follow her. And then they had burned her—burning, which Tsunade had always told Sakura, was the only known way of killing their kind—to the ground.

She may not have known how it happened but Sakura knew that it happened.

Not because anyone told her and not hours later, but as soon as her mother died. She felt an odd chill run down her back and her heart squeezed and she had strangest urge to break down and cry and she knew without a doubt that Tsunade was dead and she was never coming back.

It was enough to make Sakura want to leave her precious home. The villagers were clearly ruthless and would not take kindly to the remaining witch in the village, even if she was a youth with bright green, innocent eyes who hadn't seen the world and hadn't had much time to hone her abilities just yet.

However Tsunade had left something behind in her death: an incantation she must have murmured when Sakura was sleeping, that Sakura was only able to feel after her mother's death. She could recognize the magic in the air; it was definitely Tsunade's, with a faint smell of sake attached to it that she could sense.

And with her _special _sensitivity she knew what the spell was for, too.

It prohibited her from leaving the village if Tsunade ever died and prevented any villager from being able to kill her.

Sakura didn't know how she had done it because it was frighteningly powerful magic and she had not seen Tsunade perform any such feat before that.

She hadn't even known such an incantation existed.

But what Sakura really wanted to know was, if Tsunade had so much power, why hadn't she protected herself with that spell, before she had gone into the village?

She did not let this question haunt her mind for long, though. The first night after Tsunade had died, she set to work to find all the texts hidden in the cottage. And night after night, year after year, she studied them.

Not that she was able to ever reach the height of success her mother had. But she learnt about spells and magical herbs to heal the wounded. Maybe it was wishful thinking to believe that anyone would ever wish for her aid, but it made Sakura less restless if she was able to become someone that could do more help than harm.

And a century later—because witches didn't age after a certain time and couldn't die of old age and Sakura had stopped aging when she was nineteen—the opportunity came.

She was in the garden—something else she had cultivated over the years—, picking herbs when she heard the thud of footsteps.

They were heavy-sounding, probably a man, and seemed to drag against the ground. She stopped what she was doing to run behind a tree, hardly daring to breathe, because no one ever came to her parts.

Sakura huddled there for a moment before peeking out, because she hadn't seen another person ever since the day Tsunade died and she was unbearably curious about the rest of humanity.

The other party hadn't noticed her yet. It was a man, as she had guessed, one who was young and appeared to be in his twenties. His locks were dark, as were his eyes, which were looking around.

First, to the garden and the herbs she had forgotten to grab and take with her, then at the footprints in the mud that she had made as she ran, and finally to the tree.

His eyes moved from top to bottom and ended up locked on hers. "Who are you?" he demanded to know. It was not an intensely demanding voice, but one of a man who usually got what he wanted.

"I'm…" she had not spoken aloud for a very long time and her voice was rusty. She cleared it quickly. "I am Sakura."

There. Everyone knew the name Sakura; it had been passed down generations in the village. It was a name they feared, even if they had not seen her face-to-face. It would certainly cause this man to run away in haste.

But he did not. "Sakura what?" One of his hands had been on the sword on his back, she noticed. But he had speedily let go as soon she spoke.

She was at a loss. There was no one who didn't know her, no one who would even dare wander into this forest so daringly. "Might you be a traveler, sir?"

"You did not answer my last question."

"But I answered the one before that." She watched him carefully and stood, stepping out from behind the tree. "It is only fair to ask a question and expect to be asked a question."

The man scoffed. "Fairness does not exist."

She tilted her head and made her way to her garden, picking up her herbs. He did not seem like he wanted to cause harm. "I would like to think it does in this case."

He blinked at her. "I am a traveler," he said finally, reluctantly, looking like she had tortured the answer out of him. He did not say anything else, staring at her as if waiting for her to say something.

She only realized what it was after a moment. "Oh!" she gasped. "I apologize. But I am afraid Sakura is the only name I have."

He raised one dark, thin eyebrow. "Everyone has a last name. Even orphans are appointed with some name, so they aren't set apart from the others."

But not people like her, Sakura thought helplessly. Not ones _gifted _with her abilities. She did not say this to the man though. If he didn't know, then it was all the better for her. It was rather….refreshing to talk to someone, without them running away in panic.

This thought, the thought that this man did not who she was, made her stand up a little taller, her smile growing brighter as she did. "And what is your name?"

The man seemed to have noticed her change of demeanor but said nothing of it. "Sasuke."

She waited, but he didn't grace her with his last name. Her smile faltered a bit, and she made an effort to hold it in place. Smiling was important, she knew. She had learned that years ago, back when Tsunade was alive. "If you're a traveler, then I'm sure you want somewhere to rest for the night. Might my cottage be of use to you?"

"Are you always this kind to strangers?" Sakura was taken aback by the tone of his voice. He sounded _angry_. She ran through the words she had said. There was some offensive meaning, possibly? She had not had the chance to learn _that _much from Tsunade.

"I don't meet many strangers," she said, choosing her words very carefully. "Hardly anyone comes to this part of the village; it's not a favored place." Because she lived there.

"And why is that?" Sasuke wanted to know, a frown on his face as he analyzed their surroundings, once again grabbing is sword, as if there was danger oncoming.

She looked around as well. The settings were perfectly fine; that was not the problem. There were large trees all around, trees that she had enjoyed climbing once-upon-a-time, so she could look out from the very top and see the world. Her garden had grown beautifully, as well, the colors vibrant in their spots. The birds chirped, and she could hear the deer galloping, a little while away, as well as she could smell the freshwater of the pond close by. Her humble cottage completed the scenery, making it seem like something out of one of the fairy-tale stories she had found in her home.

"I'm not sure, actually," she said thoughtfully, even though she, of course, knew everything. "It's a lovely place, wouldn't you agree? And it's only gotten prettier over the years."

"You say that as if you've been here for long," Sasuke said. She froze. She had gotten caught up in the moment, letting all her years wash over her, as if she was an old woman who she'd never become.

She caught herself and smiled at him, hoping it was convincing and he would ignore her slip. "My mother and father told me stories."

He didn't look convinced but he didn't push it. "I'll take you up on your offer."

Confused, she blinked up at him for a moment, then—, "Oh! Oh, yes, of course. Please. Allow me to show you in."

He took a long stride and, as swift as the wind, grabbed her, turning her around and pressing something sharp against her neck. It hovered, not quite piercing her skin, though, Sakura knew, nothing ever really would—the blood dried up after only a moment, abnormally quick. "Let's get this straight," he hissed in her ear. "I don't trust you. I don't trust _anyone_. I'll take up your offer, because I have a long while of travel, and not that much money. But if you do anything that I regard as suspicious, I will slit your throat, faster than you can say, 'help.' Understood?"

Sakura tried to nod and managed it, at a very awkward angle. He let her go, and slid the knife back into his pocket, where it had apparently been hidden before. He started to the house and she stared after him.

It may have been something of a stupid idea to offer such a man her house, Sakura knew. But she had said it and wouldn't back out. Hopefully, nothing she did would be regarded as suspicious in his eyes.

This thought was not for the sake of being scared for herself.

No, Sakura was scared for _him_.


	2. second

At the age of fifteen, Sakura had trained herself to spot injuries almost instantly. She could tell a lot by the way people stood: if one foot was put more weight on in an unnatural way, then the other foot was almost certainly injured, if a person tried to keep their back too straight, then _that_ was almost certainly injured. Things like that.

She could hand it to Sasuke; he was good at keeping his emotions under control. It may have been impossible for her to notice, if she had not had as much of a keen eye as she did.

As soon as he walked into her home, she knew there was something wrong with his neck. There was certain strain on his face when he stretched it, barely noticeable.

She told him to wait a moment, ran to the kitchen, grabbed a piece of cloth and wet it, along with an herb that she had recently sliced. Then she returned to the sitting room and ordered him to eat the herb and put the cloth on his neck. She did not take such things like injuries lightly; normal humans and animals had fragile lives, lives that could be torn apart from them very quickly. And for the silliest reasons, conditions she could treat with what she grew in her garden.

She did not dare use her magic, though. It most definitely counted as "suspicious," she was sure.

Sasuke stared at her like she had lost her sanity and she had to wonder if this also counted as "suspicious" in his eyes. "You're injured," she said, by way of explanation.

He scowled. "What, are you a doctor?"

She thought about that for a moment. It had never occurred before but maybe that was what she technically was. She had read numerous texts about the body and medical conditions, texts that she had found along with the books that instructed about magic, texts that she had memorized then applied to all the living organisms around her. Birds that had only one wing, animals that had been hunted unsuccessfully but still suffered excruciating injuries.

"That's exactly what I am, actually," she told Sasuke, hearing the pride in her own voice. She had never had the feeling before, but it seemed to do something to her—turn her into someone else. Around Sasuke, she thought as she watched him put the cloth on his neck, maybe that was who she needed to be.

"Here," she said, reaching for the towel, "allow me."

He let her have the towel without saying anything and stared in front, as she draped it across his neck, pressing into points on it. There was something on his neck, she noticed. A strange inky mark, black and unwashable by the cloth.

As her finger touched it, Sakura felt a jolt, as if she had been struck by lightning, and not in any good metaphorical sense. Goosebumps raised themselves on her arms and she couldn't stop shivering. Sasuke must have sensed it, because he turned around to stare at her. When he found her standing above him, looking like she had just received a massive shock, he grabbed her by her waist and pulled her head down so their eyes were level with each other. "What."

She did not reply, only staring at him blankly. There was a pounding in her head, a pounding that felt like it was going to burst through the walls of her mind.

Sasuke caught her before she hit the floor.

* * *

Sakura woke up on her bed, completely disoriented. Sasuke sat in a chair next to it, polishing a dagger; probably the very dagger that he had held against her throat. It was, she realized, a kunai, glinting silver in the light coming through her window.

If there was still light coming through her window, then the sun was still out. That meant she hadn't been unconscious for too long.

She coughed and Sasuke's head snapped in her direction. Smiling a little, she began to get up.

He watched her impassively. "Thought you said you were a doctor."

She glanced at him briefly and nodded. "I am," she said.

"Can doctors not take care of themselves?"

Her face burned and she realized belatedly that he was amused. Probably laughing on the inside at her.

The thought made her scowl. She had never liked the thought of mocking. Now that it was actually happening to her, she liked it even less. "I just felt a little faint is all," she defended hotly. "It was perfectly normal."

Except it hadn't been. She never felt faint, never fell ill. But something about that mark had caused her to.

And since Sasuke was being infuriatingly rude, Sakura decided not to warn him.

"Normal," Sasuke repeated thoughtfully and observed her carefully. "Somehow, I don't think that's a word that would apply to you."

"Well, rude is the perfect word for you!" she said haughtily. There was anger bubbling up, not a very nasty sort, but a juvenile anger that she had never had the chance to experience before.

Sasuke laughed at her. It was not loud and seemed to barely happen. One corner of his mouth twisted up in a smirk and he opened his mouth and let out a small, quick breath. It was as if, if he didn't do it quickly, he wouldn't be able to let it out.

It was also somewhatkindofokrreally breathtaking.

Sasuke, Sakura decided, was a dangerous, dangerous man. Perhaps even more dangerous than the villagers thought she was.

She was regretting inviting him into her house now.

"Would you kindly get me some water?"

He stared at her for a moment, then got up and headed in the direction of the kitchen, muttering about how he wasn't a servant and didn't appreciate being treated as such.

Sakura could also hear some foul words mixed into his monologue.

She lay back down against her bed and thought. And thought and thought. Perhaps, all the years of solitude had had an effect on her mind, causing her to think it fine to trust such a strange man.

He came back with a glass of water, a moment later. "I find it ironic that I am the guest in your house, yet I am the one who's taking care of you," Sasuke murmured dryly, as he held the glass up to her lips. She found the action startling, not used to the idea of people getting close to her. It must have showed on her face, because he narrowed his eyes at her, took her hand, and wrapped her fingers around the cup, before letting go.

She watched the water move around in the glass, then glanced back up at him.

"What?" he said crossly. "I didn't poison it. And you're clearly fine now, so drink it yourself."

"You're a very impatient man, Sasuke," Sakura observed. "I knew a boy as impatient as you, a long time ago, when I was still a baby."

His gaze was directed at the ceiling. "Mustn't have been too long ago; you don't look that much older than me."

And she had slipped up _again_. "No," she murmured, her lips against the glass, watching her breath fog it up, "no, I suppose I do not."

They were both silent for a moment, as Sakura gulped down the water.

"What happened to the boy you knew?" he finally muttered, curiosity apparently winning out in the end.

"I don't know," she replied. "I haven't seen him since then. He disappeared when I was two."

Sasuke's gaze darkened. "Then why mention him?"

Startled by the harshness of his voice, Sakura looked up. Sure enough, he was staring at her angrily. "No reason," she said, bemused. "I was merely making an observation."

He stood up and stomped out of the room, before Sakura could ask him what was wrong.

_What a strange man_, Sakura thought. _And he thinks "normal" doesn't apply to _me.

* * *

Sasuke stayed in her house for a week—he blamed it on the amount of traveling he had to do but he never once told her where he was traveling _to_.

It was the oddest week of Sakura's long life. Mostly due to the fact that it had been so long since she had lived with another human. And the fact that he was a man may have had something to do with it, as well.

She had walked into the washroom at one point, without knocking, because she had forgotten that she had a guest and she never knocked in her own house, only to see Sasuke. Without a shirt. In only his trousers.

She hadn't screamed, just closed the door, quietly, taken a step back and made her way to her room, where she tried to cool off her face, which had suddenly become very, _very _hot.

Perhaps she was a recluse who didn't know what human interaction was. And Sasuke was the first fully-grown man she had seen. Who, according to her anatomy books and her visual ability, was an incredibly healthy man.

"It's not that big of a deal," he told her, when he came out of the bathroom. Sure enough, his face had not turned red and he hadn't stuttered through the sentence. He had just stared at her, as if he didn't see what the big deal was.

He was probably used to that kind of attention, Sakura thought. The way he carried himself seemed to indicate his confidence, something that females would naturally be drawn to.

"I never said it was," Sakura retorted and began to cook dinner, trying to ignore the feel of his gaze on her back.


	3. third

On the seventh day of Sasuke's stay, he had packed his things in a small bag that Sakura had found around the house and was ready to leave. It was getting closer to the wintertime, and wintertime was a perilous occasion for travelers.

Sakura _still_ didn't know where Sasuke was traveling _to_ exactly, but when he had first come upon her cottage, he had seemed to be dressed for a very long journey. And he had told her as much himself.

If he wanted to complete it before the snow fell, then he'd need to leave and quickly.

"Here's some food for your journey," Sakura said, handing over the materials. "And here's some medical supplies; be careful on the roads."

Sasuke didn't say anything. He had not gotten any more talkative throughout his settlement in her small house and they hadn't become very close, but Sakura liked to think that they were friends now. Her first friend.

It wasn't like there was a chance to become anything more.

"Thanks," he muttered and took the resources from her, stuffing it into his bag and hauling it over his shoulder. He looked at her when he finished and raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to come with me or something?"

She was startled by the question. "Why do you ask that?"

"It's nothing. It's just….you must be fed up, living in this place by yourself. No one seems to come around these parts…."

"I'm fine, Sasuke," Sakura said. Her throat was tightening and she felt like crying. It had been so long since someone had worried about her like that. But she could never leave the village, even if she wanted to. "I appreciate your concern very much, but I'm fine." And she smiled at him, brightly, until he had left her side.

Her smile dropped, as soon as he was out of sight, and she sighed, hating the prickly feeling she was getting at the corner of her eyes. But she had survived far too long without Sasuke to be perturbed. And she would survive much longer.

* * *

Sakura had the habit of sleeping with her windows open. The breeze was always cool around the forest area and the cold wind helped her rest easier.

She curled up on her cot, with the blankets covering her completely and the lights off. But she couldn't sleep. It may have been due to the fact that the wind wasn't blowing as much as it usually did, but it also may have had to do with the eerie feeling Sakura was getting, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

When this feeling only persisted, she kicked off her many blankets and headed for the entrance to her room. She stopped a few inches away from the door, suddenly, immobile as she could possibly be.

There was someone on the other side of the door. She could _feel _it in her bones.

This epiphany did not have her moving any faster. Or at all. If there was someone on the other end of her door, and Sasuke was long gone, then it was no one who wished to be nicely acquainted with Sakura.

After years of a relatively peaceful, though feared, existence, _they_ had finally come for her in her own home.

"Where is she?" a voice hissed beyond the door, oblivious to the fact that the very "she" they were talking about was awake and about. "We can't have come all this way, only for her _not to be here_?"

"Oh, she's here, alright," another voice replied. "I've heard stories about this woman—if she could even be called that."

"What kind of stories?" the first person wanted to know, impatiently.

"There are rumors that she is unable to leave this village. Why do you think she would persist to stay here otherwise? She is hated and she knows it."

"To torture us?" the first person suggested. His argument was weak and _he_ knew it.

"I think my theory seems more plausible," the other one said dryly. "Do you have the matches?"

Sakura's blood went cold. Feeling as though she was drowning in freezing water, she retreated from her place at the door and silently headed for the window. Maybe her plan to escape _from_ it would have worked, if it hadn't been for the creak of an old wooden plank on her floor that she had completely forgotten about.

"What's that?" the first voice said, considerably louder. "Is she awake? Has she heard us?"

"I don't think it matters," said the second, resolutely. "If she did, then she knows she's going to die today. And she just revealed her location to us."

Sakura was, by no means, an idiot. She had not lived in society so she may have had some problems with her social skills and other mundane tasks but her mind was still swift and she had never lost the ability to think on her feet.

The door to her room opened and the lamp was turned on.

She must have _looked_ like an idiot, simply standing there, staring at them, as if she had nothing better to do with her life.

"Hello," said the second voice, which, she could now see, belonged to a middle-aged man. The other person was a younger man, perhaps in his twenties, and quite obviously inexperienced in such matters. "We come in harm. I'm afraid you've lasted too long, Mistress Witch." He sounded calm, not the sound of a cold-hearted murderer, but of a man who was exterminating a problem.

Her lips curled as she heard this. "_I'm_ afraid you're underestimating me, Mister Villager #1, Mister Villager #2. I am not so easy to go up in flames. And I think I have plenty more years on me." Her eyes were sharp on them, noticing that the younger man had started cowering, but the first one was standing strong.

"You're a great deal….different than what we expected," said the older man. "So, no, I don't believe we're underestimating you at all. I'm sorry we have to do this. Many others do not feel anything for this but I do. But I must protect my family and my village." The younger man shot the older a disapproving glance.

She let out a laugh. It was not one of joy, but clear cynicism. "I would hope not on the underestimating bit. And I appreciate that you feel some regret." She lifted up the kunai she had hidden under her sleeve, one that Sasuke had slyly left behind. She didn't know why he thought she would ever need it, but she appreciated the gesture now. "But….please leave. I have caused you no grief or impairment; I don't understand why you can't extend me the same courtesy."

The young man was the one who answered this. "Because we fear that which is unknown. And, currently, that is what you are."

Sakura titled her head. "I have never had the chance to redeem that quality of myself, unfortunately. Neither did my aunt, before your ancestors killed her."

"Then you have motives of revenge!"

Her voice was soft, her eyes distant. "No. You are not the ones to blame for that. I will not put blame on people who don't deserve it. This kunai," she nodded at the knife, "is not for attacking you. It is for protecting me. Please leave my house at once."

"No," said the older man, his voice ringing with finality and a hint of something akin to sadness, but not quite there. He gestured for the matches the other was holding. The younger man obediently lit four matches and threw them on the floor when Sakura heard a slam behind her.

She turned around to see other men, holding down the window that she had opened, preventing her from escaping. Sakura turned back around, only to see the two men were gone and her door was shut.

Sakura was no idiot. These men were only descendants; they did not know the truth. The flames would build and build, but they would never swallow her body.

She was no ordinary witch.

The window flew up by itself with surprising speed, the villagers crying out as it left their hands. She leapt out with no trouble and smiled sadly at them. "I'm sorry I cause you such unease. But none of you can kill me."

"I suppose I have to be gratified for that, at least," said a familiar voice from the trees. Sakura froze and turned.

Sasuke stood there, expectantly, his gaze on the villagers cowering on the ground. At Sakura's questioning stare, he said, unwillingly, "I was irritated, leaving you behind, so I came back. You didn't seem 'fine' when I left."

She laughed very loudly at that, staggering the villagers with its volume and boisterousness.

Sasuke frowned. "Why is that funny?"

She shook her head and didn't answer.

Her laughter was merely at the irony that out of the group before her, the only person who wasn't a villager, Sasuke, was the_ only one_ who could kill her and the _only one_ who didn't want to.

* * *

**notes: Look at all this action (ish) stuff that I have awarded you beautiful reviewers with. You can actually thank the mental breakdown that I had yesterday, because I was freaking out about my grades, and feelings help me write. Probs expect another update soon, if you hotties keep reviewing like you have been. Happy holidays!**

**On another (sad) note: Neji's dead. I can't even...just. No. I uploaded a NejiTen story today, dedicated to this news. It's sad, but...it's there.**

**edits (12/22/12): Okay, I made a lot of edits in the previous chapters and this one, if you go back and look. This is due to the review of the anonymous reviewer Nom de Plume, who I'd like to address: I don't think you're nitpicky or annoying and I really appreciate your constructive criticism. I'm not perfect and I don't pretend to be and you weren't rude and I appreciate that too. I hope you understand the one villager's feelings better now because I hadn't added that on previously, when I should have. The only thing I couldn't change was Sasuke at the end. The week long stay he had at Sakura's wasn't that important to their relationship growth; I may allude to it later on, but, for now, Sasuke is supposed to be a stranger. And I'll elaborate on why he came back, eventually (probs next chapter but no promises).  
**

**WHEW. THAT WAS A LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE. PEACE.  
**


	4. fourth

Sakura still couldn't leave the village.

The situation had become worse now because of what had happened with the villagers. Her cottage had burned down and she had nowhere to stay. For the time being, she had taken to living in the forest like a wild child, Sasuke by her side.

He wasn't without questions, though.

He leaned against a log, sighing in an annoyed manner. "Why is it that we can't leave now?"

Sakura took a break from gathering water from the nearby lake into a bucket and glanced back at him. "Because there is something that prevents me from leaving here."

"And what is that something?" he wanted to know.

"I told you," Sakura said, standing up, her fingers steady on the handle of the pail, "there's no time for explanations. I'll tell you everything later but, for now, I need to concentrate on what I'm doing. I don't know what the villagers will do next."

"I think whatever you had done sufficiently scared them, " Sasuke said, because he didn't come early enough to see the window fly up out of the villager's hand, like an invisible hand had pushed it up. "And if not..." his face seemed to darken, "well, they'll get what's coming to them."

"You sound very scary," Sakura commented honestly.

"Good to know," Sasuke replied laconically. "I was losing faith in how frightening I am."

"One look at you and those villagers will run away screaming," she agreed. She was serious about that and was quite confused when Sasuke's lips twitched upward, like they usually did when he was amused-the closest thing to a smile she had ever seen him with. "What?"

"Nothing," he responded and got up, probably tired of having to look up at her. He towered over her standing. "I'm gonna go get some firewood."

Sakura stared at him blankly. "Why?"

"Because," he said, the lip twitch appearing again, "we need to build a _fire_, Sakura. You know, for warmth? Unless you have _other suggestions_?"

When she understood the implications of his words, she put the pail down hastily and turned away from him. "No," she said quietly. "Go get firewood. I'll get all the things I need."

It had been nearly a day since the events at her cottage. Sasuke had returned around midnight and they had kept close to her burning house, while the others ran away. Sakura hadn't cried, but she had felt despair at the thought of her home vanishing from existence. Just as her mother had vanished all those years ago.

But the flames had served as warmth for the remainder of the night. They seemed to be unending; even after Sasuke and Sakura had poured water on them, the smoke and the heat lingered.

However, Sakura had a job to do if she wanted to leave the village behind. Before, she had lived in relative peace; there was no need for her to desire to leave. She felt trapped at times, yes, but determination hardly welled up inside her to escape.

Now, the determination was there and, oh, it was burning.

There was a trick she had learned somewhere, from one of her many books, to break such a powerful incantation. It was very dangerous and required her to be even stronger than the witch who had cast said incantation. But Sakura would do it, she thought grimly. She would do it and she would depart from this cage of hers.

* * *

The first thing she needed was the lake water, which she had already collected, when Sasuke was asking her questions. The second thing she needed was a water willow; lucky for her, it grew around the forest. And the last, material thing she needed was the exact incantation that had been spoken by Tsunade.

Unfortunately, that was the one thing Sakura did not have. She had searched for years and never found it. And searching through her books was futile now; they had all been destroyed in the fire.

But Sakura remembered every story her mother had told her. She wasn't sure if it would help but she WAS sure that it wasn't her mom's plan to keep her in a village that abhorred her. Tsunade had to have had some ulterior motive, some plan, some REASON for what she had done.

So Sakura trusted and searched her memory. She searched and searched and searched until the sun had gone down again and Sasuke had returned with an arm full of wood.

She wasn't to be distracted though; her eyes were closed and her mind was somewhere else. She barely noticed the change in time and her companion coming back. Sasuke didn't bother her either. He just silently set the wood on fire and rubbed his hands over it, for once, patient in his wait for her.

She didn't open her eyes until two hours of dark had passed. When she did, her mind was sharp as ever, as was the grin she displayed when she faced Sasuke.

"You're smiling," he acknowledged, looking up from the fire and brushing a couple of strands of hair away from his eyes. "We can leave." It wasn't a question, but a hopeful tone rang through the sentence which made Sakura giggled.

He scowled in response. "Stop laughing," he commanded.

Sakura only continued giggling. "I've got it, Sasuke." She was giddy with her newfound knowledge. "I've got it."

Sasuke eyes went to the fire again. "Whatever."

* * *

Sakura still didn't have time to explain anything to Sasuke. She hurried him to another side of the lake, one that people rarely came upon, and started to set up the materials, while he made another fire, slightly put out by the fact that he had to stomp out the other one which he had just made.

Luckily enough, all Sakura was concerned with was the fact that the ritual had to be performed on a full moon, which it just so happened to be.

"You don't need to do anything," she informed Sasuke, with a glance over her shoulder. "I have everything covered."

Sasuke shrugged and continued staring as she put the pail of water in the center, and drowned the water willow in it. There was no sound around them; something else the ritual called for was silence while it was being implemented.

Sakura took a deep breath and clapped her hands together, chanting lowly. It wasn't a mortal language, or any spoken language for that matter; it was a language specifically for the purpose of magic. She made sure to keep her voice soft, trying to avoid any questions that may arise in Sasuke's mind that he'd like answered right away and trying to avoid accidentally enchanting him.

Her eyes were open, so she could see everything clearly; after a moment of chanting, the willow, and the water it was surrounded by, glowed a compelling silver. Unable to help it, and knowing, somehow, that it would cause no harm, she dipped her hand into the pail, swirling the water around.

When the lake began to glimmer in the glow as well, Sakura knew, without a doubt, that it was time to get the difficult part started with.

There was a fundamental element needed to break a spell. It was for the witch breaking the spell to have a greater power than the witch who had cast the spell in the first place.

And, after years of practicing her magic by herself, Sakura was going to find out if she was good enough.

She crooked her neck to see if Sasuke was watching; he was lying against a log, once again, his bare feet enclosed in the warmth of the fire he had started, his eyes closed, but Sakura knew he wasn't sleeping.

If Sasuke was going to find out what she was, _who _she was, then it might as well be before they left this place together, Sakura decided. And if he didn't approve, then he wasn't the man she thought he was, and he certainly wasn't worth traveling with.

Her breath coming out short, Sakura took her fingers out of the water and pressed them to her sides, ready to begin.

The magic—or rather, _her _magic, because she had read somewhere that every magic was different—was a fire (ironic because that was the only thing that could normally kill her kind). It didn't start off burning; it started off small and harmless, in the pit of her stomach, not egged on by any outside source. She concentrated on that little fire, trying to get it to rise, rise out of that abyss it was stuck in, get stronger and stronger and burn all the way through her.

She wasn't sure it was working until she could no longer hear anything but the roaring in her ears, until she could no longer see anything but fog in front of her eyes, until she could no longer smell anything but the water willow, until she could no longer _feel _anything but the growing _fire_.

When she felt like this, she unfalteringly spoke the spell that she assumed her mother had spoken when she was a child—_assumed_ because she didn't know for sure, but she had to hope that it was right and all this magic that she had cast wouldn't backfire on her and have those devastating consequences that she had never experienced but certainly read about.

It didn't.

So, throwing caution to the wind—which was something incredibly rare for such a responsible person like her—, she spoke the same spell backwards and hoped and hoped and hoped that everything was over, that she could leave that dreaded place and never ever come back.

The fog in front of her eyes grew, the roaring in her ears blew louder, the smell of the willow became so intoxicating, the burning so intense, that she could no longer breathe or think or do _anything_.

And then it stopped.

The last thing she saw was Sasuke's face above her, his eyes dark—was that panic she saw?—, his lips in one straight line, and his arms reaching for her, before she blacked out.

The second time since they had first met.

* * *

"You could have warned me," was the first thing he said, when she opened her eyes.

She was bathed in a warm blaze, and when she moved her head, her peripheral vision caught the fire he had made, still going strong, and she realized that she was lying right next to it. "I could have warned you what?"

"That you were going to faint," he said scowling and then added, "_again_."

She didn't have the energy to budge anything but her head and her mouth, but if she did, she would have wagged her finger at him when she said, "If you ask me what kind of doctor I am, to let myself faint twice in front of your presence, I _swear to god_, I will—"

"What kind of doctor are you?" he interrupted, his mouth tight at its edge. "To do what you did, Sakura."

She went with the obvious answer, a term she had never realized _so_ completed her everything, smiling widely as she said it.

"Why, Sasuke, what would I be...but a witch doctor."

* * *

**notes: I really like writing this story. Maybe it's because it's one of my more reviewed stories and I like the reviews that you guys give because they're absolutely gorgeous. AND SAKURA IS SELF-ACTUALIZING. WHICH IS WEIRD COZ SHE'S, LIKE, OLDER THAN A PERSON SHOULD BE WHEN THEY DO THAT. But just go with my logic, huh?**

**Just for the record, and I should have mentioned this before, but I keep forgetting, this was inspired by the shoujo manga Hyakunen Renbo. I didn't get any of the storyline from it but some concepts were brought to mind after reading it so smileyface.**

**And you guys make _my_ day, I really hope you know that.**


	5. fifth

The road was freezing.

It made Sakura think of cold winters, huddled in her little cottage—which was no longer _there_, of course—and nights which she'd spend under the safe covers of her bed.  
Glancing at her companion, she saw that Sasuke was not bothered, swiftly moving, as quickly as he always did.

It had been a night since her confession at the lake. It had been a day since Sasuke had stared at her, in that way he did, that gave her goose-bumps up her arms and had breathing a little deeper, a little harder, and said, "So that's it," then helped her off of the ground and told her to start preparing for the next morning.

She shouldn't have been surprised though. It was quite apparent by now that Sasuke had ulterior motives in wanting her on the road. Maybe _part_ of it was friendship, but Sakura wasn't so naive to believe that that's _all_ it was.

At least, those feelings had come to the front of her mind now. They were buried before, lingering suspicions that she didn't really want to admit to herself.

"Sasuke," she addressed, positioned a bit behind him, because she was not used to this kind of weather just yet and her footsteps were tentative. She felt like she could crush this kind of floor, so covered in ice that it was. "Are you going somewhere in particular?"

"Why do you want to know," he replied, his dark eyes flitting back to her face, over his shoulder, then back to the front.

"I'm not dumb, Sasuke," she said patiently. "In fact, I am very very suspicious. Do you not think it odd that I have been hated all my life and, just recently, attempted murder on and yet, I am traveling with a man who stayed with me for a week, who I don't know at all, but who could very well be leading me to my doom? I'm no fool."

"I saved your life," he answered, not looking at her this time. "Why would I find any need to kill you now."

"There are worse things than death, Sasuke," murmured Sakura. "I may have been a recluse for all of my years, but they've been a great many, nonetheless."

He halted in his path. It had been the first time she had directly called out on the fact that she wasn't like others, since her confession at the lake. "I didn't ask you any questions, Sakura," he said finally. She had not halted, until she was near him, close enough that her foggy breath was exhaling onto his back and she could hear his soft voice crystal clear from there. "Why are you asking me."

"Ha!" She snorted, then curved around his shoulder to look up and glare. "Don't play that card with me, Sasuke. You were asking me all those questions yesterday and I finally answered you. So you answer me."

"Is this about fairness again?"

"No," she said simply. "It's because I want to know and you'll tell me what I want to know or I'll send you flying."

"Are you _threatening_ me?" he said incredulously, and finally looked down at her. There was an amused twist to his lips, as if he was on his way to smirk, but couldn't quite find his way there.

"Maybe," Sakura said bravely and started walking ahead. "Oh and you didn't save my life, Sasuke. You were _going to_. But that doesn't mean you did."

There was no sound of footsteps behind her. To be honest, Sakura had expected that she'd be against a tree—_again_—that big old sword pressed to her neck.

But now that she had told Sasuke who she was, she had no qualms against power-shooting him over the way.

"…We're heading to Konoha."

Sakura stopped. She wasn't sure if it was just her feet that stopped or her heart or her thoughts or her breath or _everything_. But Sakura stopped. "Konoha?" she whispered.

"Konoha," he agreed.

She turned around, her long pink hair flying, but she didn't even care that the strands hit her in the face or that she had to move them away and out of her mouth. "That's where Tsunade-shishou was from!" she screamed excitedly. "She lived there before she found me, I _know_ it. She wrote it in her journals, the ones that I found in the house! She spoke of the grand castle there and the people who were wonderful to her, despite knowing that she was what she was." But Tsunade had never written about why she had _left _Konoha, some small part of Sakura's mind whispered. "That means…" She deflated for a moment, counting the years backwards. No one who knew her shishou would be _alive_ now.

Sasuke observed her from a distance. "I don't know who _shishou_ is," he said. "But I'm going there to become a knight."

"A _knight_?" she asked, bemused. Her eyebrows went up and she had to force them down at his answering scowl. "You want to be a knight, Sasuke?"

"Konoha is the most prosperous kingdom," he said, ignoring her question and her dubious tone. "The Hokage is choosing his knights in a tournament." His voice was steady and confident. "And I will be one of them."

"No doubts, huh, Sasuke?" Sakura said. "I don't think knights are known for meeting women and holding them against a tree and then having some weird motive for them to join in said knight's travel."

"I've never known a doctor to threaten to send someone flying with their powers before," he shot back.

"Good thing you didn't know shishou then," she told him simply, remembering those times when Tsunade would throw a fist at the trees and the ground and break down everything in her way.

He snorted and began walking again. This time, she was standing beside him, peering up at him, as he went. "Why do you want to be a knight, Sasuke?"

"Because," he said, his voice so cutting and harsh, "there's someone I want to kill. And the best way to do it is with an army and an official seal."

* * *

They traveled for the next few straight days, walking and walking into the night and then the morning. Sakura wasn't particularly _tired_—she was a forest dweller, as well as a recluse, and exploration of the area surrounding that took a lot of stamina. The only thing that was different with this was the fact that she was traveling through roads and streets unknown with a man who was _just as_ unknown.

Sasuke stopped them for a rest, surprisingly enough. It was in the middle of nowhere, and it had just started raining, the droplets crashing down on their head brutally. Sakura, who liked the rain, in the same nature that she liked all, well, _nature_, threw her hands up towards the sky and twirled around a little.

Sasuke grunted. "You're weirder now."

She took no offense, giggling at the words and spinning some more. "Must be because the recluse is gone now."

He watched her movements, eyes darkening in the same way the sky was. "So you'll never regret coming with me."

It was a question said like a statement, like much of Sasuke's questions. He had the habit of leaving out the ring of curiosity at the end of his sentences. "Am I supposed to, Sasuke?" Sakura countered. They still had not spoken about what exactly Sasuke wanted from her. And they hadn't discussed why Sakura had joined him, despite knowing that he wanted _something_. "Do you expect me to?"

"I don't have any expectations, Sakura," he said. She stopped spinning for a moment to stare back at him. There was the sound of thunder and a quick flash of lightning approaching them closely, but neither of them cared, choosing to stand and stare at the other. "Not of you."

"Can we stop speaking in riddles?" Sakura wanted to know. "I have reason to be cryptic, since I am, after all, decades older than you and not entirely _human_."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and smirked a bit at her. It was the first time she had seen that smirk in so many days and it had Sakura's hands fluttering over her cheeks to brush away the sudden heat that had rushed there. All she could tangibly brush away, though, were the drips of water that had made its way down her darkening pink hair and onto her —she was sure—darkening face.

"Let's go, Sakura," he said and gestured towards an inn, a while away.

_Oh. Staying in the same place again. That'll go _well.

But all Sakura could suddenly concentrate on was the fact that Sasuke's clothes were soaked and sticking to his body in a way that revealed all the contours and ripples of the muscles hidden beneath cloth, the strength and the broadness of his shoulders and back.

Gulping, Sakura followed him down the road.

* * *

**notes:** Omg wow gais. I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long and kjfnajkgnfa. I got caught up in other writing and school and tumblr and omg I'm sO SORRY. AND I KNOW, THIS CHAPTER ISN'T EVEN LONG TO MAKE UP FOR IT BUT I PROMISE THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP SOON OHKAY. PLS FORGIVE ASH.

To the lovely Nom de Plume (if you're still reading this, even tho it's been awhile ajkfnakfn): Sakura noted that Sasuke was the only one who could kill her out of everyone there because, as was said when the curse was introduced, it's conditions are that only no _villager _could kill her. There are no qualms towards travelers and Sasuke certainly is one. And, of course, in this chapter it is revealed that they _both _have motives :D Not only Sasuke and those motives will be revealed later on XD I appreciate your reviews, you're a darling ohkay /hearts

Thoughts? (If anyone is still around OTL?)


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